The Tale of Royalty
by Firefrost
Summary: COMPLETE: How is it that Relena and Quatre fell in love? Why were a politician and businessman drawn from a busy life to a loving one? Relena now answers this in a story for her sweet Maggie. 4xR R&R please!


Disclaimer: You know. I don't own the GW characters. Only the OC's and story are mine. Also, I borrowed the name 'Desert Prince' from the story "Rainy Day Story" and incorporated it for my own story.   
  
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The Tale of Royalty  
  
By Firefrost  
  
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Winner Residence,  
  
L4 Space Colony,  
  
Sunday, February 8, AC 205:  
  
"Mommy, Mommy!" Maggie calls as she runs through the garden, a bouquet of flowers in her hand. "These are for you, Mommy!"  
  
I smile, and take them from her gently. "Thank you, Sweetheart! They're beautiful!"  
  
My four-year-old only giggles, delighted that I am delighted.  
  
I turn to see Dorothy (our nana for Maggie) forcing to keep a smirk from surfacing her placid, pale face. "Would you like me to put those in water for you, Miss Relena?"  
  
It is my turn to force back a smile. After ten long years — and my marriage — she STILL calls me Miss! At least it makes me feel younger.  
  
I nod, and hand her the flowers. She takes them and heads inside to fetch water and vase.  
  
My attention drifts back to my child, who is sitting on the patio's cobblestone floor, looking up at me with great anticipation. I know what she's after! Mothers ALWAYS know.  
  
"Do you want to hear a story, Maggie?" I ask.  
  
"Ooh! Yes, Mommy! Please, please, please!" She bounces up and down, even as she sits.  
  
I laugh. "Then what story, pray tell, do you want to hear?"  
  
"I want to hear a love story, Mommy!"  
  
The hopeless romantic. She WOULD be, considering who her father is! Too bad he's off on another trip... Stupid meeting: keeps him from me and Maggie on a WEEKEND! Oh well, at least he's coming home this afternoon.  
  
I finish my tea, and lean forward. A personal bubble is needed for a listeners good attention to a good story; the story should be both your worlds, so as to do it justice.  
  
"All right, Maggie," I reply, and smile at the remembrance of my most precious memory...  
  
I began:  
  
"Once upon a time — not quite so long ago, there was a BIG meeting on the L4 space colony. It was to agree on trading with other colonies. Attending that meeting was a Princess of Peace. And there was also a Desert Prince who came..."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Remand Parliament Building,  
  
L4 Space Colony,  
  
Friday, November 6, AC 199:  
  
The members of the meeting exited the conference room. The day had been long, and the ministers and CEO's needed food badly, as it was dinnertime (and they had started at 7:00 a.m.).  
  
Vice Foreign Minister Relena Dorelain followed suit and wisped gracefully passed a group of politicians. She came swiftly over to a young man in a black suit; a blue tie dangling over the white shirt beneath his jacket.  
  
He had short platinum blonde hair, and gentle cerulean eyes. He opened his arms to her as he spotted her approach. They embraced for a moment, and then pulled back.  
  
He smiled at her, his youth decayed slightly by the worry of responsibility. He did not look his nineteen years. Nay, he looked twenty-two.   
  
"Hello, Miss Dorelain!" he said cheerfully.  
  
"Hello, Mr. Winner! It's wonderful to see you again!" the Vice-Minister replied diplomatically.  
  
"I assure you, it is more wondrous to see YOU again," he nodded.   
  
It was obvious to the two of them that this was a public facade. They, the politicians and businessmen, had to keep a keen watch on their tongues and actions, lest they start chaos among the people.   
  
Deep down, Relena knew that she and Quatre were nothing but false.  
  
'We are liars,' she thought. 'We are people who say one thing, yet more often then not mean another. Why must we deceive to keep peace?'  
  
As though he were reading her mind, Quatre raised an eyebrow.  
  
"To keep the people ignorant is the only way of keeping the knife-tip-perched reality of peace alive for them. It is our duty to keep them from knowing how fragile this peace is. Thus, we lie for their peace of mind," he whispered to her.  
  
The two made their way to a different room, where media and other guests couldn't bother them.  
  
Relena sat in a chair by a window, and whispered hoarsely. "I can't do this, Quatre...!"  
  
He sat opposite her, and folded his hands under his chin as his elbows rested on the arms of the chair. "You've done it before, Miss Relena. You've done it all this time. Why the change?"  
  
She found nothing to say for a time. "I am tired...! So, so tired!"  
  
At those words, he sunk into his chair. Silence filled the room for a long time.  
  
Relena was first to break the semi-awkward silence. "Quatre, is something wrong?"  
  
"Me, too," he replied. His voice was empty.  
  
"Pardon?" she asked.  
  
"I'm tired, too, Miss Relena...!"  
  
"Then," she replied, standing and taking his hand, "let us be tired together."  
  
He looked up at her with a deep blush on his face, realizing the ramifications of her words. "Miss Relena, I couldn't!"  
  
She laughed. "I mean only to ask your company for the evening, Quatre. Nothing more."  
  
A sigh graced his lips as he stood.  
  
They exited through the back of the building so as not to be seen by prying eyes. Relena's new blue (A/N: Normal-coloured!) limousine pulled up. They pulled themselves inside, and the chauffeur awaited instructions.  
  
"My home, please," Relena said, and the limo rolled along a moment later.  
  
Relena pushed the button to close the screen between the passenger area of the car and the driver's side, as she always did. Then, she turned to her companion.  
  
"Would you like something to drink?" she asked, lifting a bottle of wine from its cooler.  
  
"Perhaps a little," he replied.  
  
'That's right,' Relena thought. 'He's not a heavy drinker.'  
  
She poured them both glasses. They gave a silent toast to peace, and sipped deeply, for the meeting had been a success.  
  
Relena pulled her glass from her lips and looked at the wine remaining within it. She felt thrilled by the drink. Never before had she enjoyed wine so! Why now?  
  
She reached for the bottle again, and poured another glass for herself and Quatre.  
  
'Just one more,' she thought.  
  
Second became third, and third became forth. At the end of the fourth, Relena felt tipsy beyond compare. She was sitting in her seat, a grin on her face. Her cheeks were flushed, and she was giggling girlishly. She couldn't handle her alcohol.  
  
'No wonder I never drank more than a glass at a time,' she dreamed carelessly.  
  
Quatre turned to look at her. He, himself, was on his third glass. He was also beginning to feel tipsy. Yet, still, he had not overdone himself. He was still aware of what he was doing. He could handle his alcohol.  
  
"Quatre?" Relena drawled childishly. She turned to look at him. Their eyes met. "I think I'm drunk."  
  
"Perhaps it would be best if we got you to bed, Miss Relena," he replied.  
  
"Mm-hmm... Okay, Quatre, whatever you say..!" she nodded, head lolling about as the car bounced and swayed.  
  
The car stopped in front of a large house, and Quatre exited the limo.  
  
With the help of the chauffeur, Quatre was able to get Relena from her seat. He slung her arm over his neck and supported her as she hobbled to the front door.  
  
She fumbled vainly with the keys, but her fuzzy vision provided for failure to set the key within the lock. So, Quatre took the keys instead, and the two entered the house.  
  
He took her to her room, and gently eased to her sit on her bed. She was giggling, and he grew nervous.  
  
"If you're settled, Miss Relena, I should take my leave." He turned to go, but felt a hand grasp his wrist. He looked back at two bright eyes that matched his own. They pleaded to him.  
  
"Stay," she whispered.  
  
His nervousness intensified. "I-I really must be going, Miss Relena!"  
  
She looked at him with a mischievous smile. "I want you to stay!"  
  
She reached for him, and touched her lips with his. The taste of her mouth was extravagant! Quatre didn't want to move! Yet his ethics forced him to pull away.  
  
"Why?" Relena cried, tears forming in her eyes. "Why don't you want me?"  
  
Quatre closed his eyes. He couldn't stand her like this. "You're drunk, Miss Relena—!"  
  
Relena's look grew angry. She beat her fists against his chest in a rage. "Why don't you want me?!!" she shrieked.  
  
He fought her off, and grabbed her wrists so the pounding would stop.  
  
"Please, Miss Relena," he choked out, "I would love nothing better than to take you — to make love to you as you want me to!"  
  
She grew quiet and watched him.  
  
"But the fact the you are drunk — the love would mean NOTHING to you by morning! Still, it would have meaning to me — for all my life thereafter! And, I could NEVER take advantage of you like that!" Tears were spilling from his eyes.  
  
"How do you know?!" she screamed, trying to free her hands. "You don't know how I feel! I'm always alone! I may be drunk, but I know how I feel! No one trusts a politician! No one loves them — or if they do, the love dies when the politician screws up!  
  
"Meanwhile, businessmen get all the respect in the world! They get all sorts of people loving them! Women love them! Men don't love women politicians...! They don't..."  
  
Quatre pulled her to him. 'So THAT was why she was tired... Not from the weariness of her job, but the loneliness that ensues.'  
  
He looked down and found her shaking against him. He could hear her sobs. He could feel her tears seeping into his shirt. And each drop felt like death to him. How he ACHED to ease her pain! Yet, it would be meaningless in her state...  
  
"Relena... I have had no better luck with love..." he said quietly. "Those women who approached have love of money... not of me...!"  
  
Relena heard, but couldn't answer.  
  
He stood cradling her for a long time, until she tired of crying.   
  
She looked up at him with red, tear-stained eyes. "Quatre... I'm TIRED!"  
  
He picked her up, and placed her gently in her bed, pulling the covers over her. He leaned down, and whispered in her ear. "Then, sleep, my dear Relena..."  
  
She took his hand again, and placed it against her cheek. "Stay... please? For company."  
  
He hesitated, but her sincere smile reassured him. He pulled off his shoes and jacket, and slipped under the covers with her.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Ooh! The Desert Prince is in bed with the Princess!" Maggie giggles. "What did they DO, Mommy?!"  
  
I crinkle my nose at the inadvertent innuendo my daughter has just visualized. "They slept, Sweetheart. The Prince didn't want to leave the Princess alone, so he stayed to keep her company while she slept."  
  
"Oh," Maggie replies, a little disappointed. "Mommy, when do they kiss? I mean, for REAL?!"  
  
"That's coming, Maggie. It's coming."  
  
* * * * *  
  
The sunlight crept through the open window. Quatre opened his eyes.  
  
He glanced beside him and saw Relena's gorgeous blue eyes staring at him as she lay on her side. Her hair was tussled around a bit, and her clothes a little crinkled.  
  
"Oh," he said, propping up on an elbow, "Good morning, Miss Relena."  
  
She continued to stare. "Thank you," she breathed.  
  
"Huh? For what?" he asked.  
  
"For keeping me company."  
  
Quatre sat up, and noticed HE was in no better a state than her. "You're welcome..."  
  
She watched him as he stood. "I mean it, Quatre..."  
  
He couldn't look at her. "I know..."  
  
She stood, too, and approached him. Her eyes were dancing stars, and her cheeks rosy. "What you said last night.. was it true?"  
  
He blushed a little. "Was what true?"  
  
"That... you'd have liked nothing better than to..."  
  
He took her hand in his. Their eyes met, and they stared into each other. After a moment of drinking one another in, he replied. "I don't lie, Relena..."  
  
She watched him gather his coat and pull on his shoes. She was sad to see him leave.  
  
He turned and walked out the door, on his way to the limousine outside. "Goodbye, Relena."  
  
'Why are you LEAVING?!' his inner voice screamed. 'You know you love her! Why in Allah's name would you walk away from such a treasure?!'  
  
He shut off that voice. He had to go. He wouldn't force himself on her. He wouldn't do anything unless he knew she loved him in return. And that, he was uncertain of. Even now, she may be hung over, and disoriented.  
  
'Why are you LETTING him leaving?!' Relena's inner voice screamed. 'You love him! Don't let him walk out of your life! Don't lose him!'  
  
Relena shook sense into herself. She rushed to her window, and leaned out as far as she could without falling.  
  
"QUATRE, WAIT!!!" she yelled.  
  
The platinum-haired figure leaning to enter the limousine stopped, and looked up at her from the grounds below.  
  
Quatre walked a few paces towards the second-storey window. He waited.  
  
'Stay?' he thought, hopeful.  
  
"Stay," she said.  
  
He sighed.  
  
She sighed — right before she lost her hold of the sill, and tumbled out of the window to the ground below! She screamed.  
  
Quatre took off in a split second!  
  
Relena hit hard! When she opened her eyes, she found that she was lying on top of someone on the grass.  
  
"Quatre?" she asked, seeing the pain in his face. The impact must have been hard on his ribs!  
  
Quatre opened his eyes, and smiled slightly between gasps. "I... couldn't let you... fall..."  
  
Tears poured from Relena's eyes, and he lifted a finger to wipe them away.  
  
She whispered. "I love you, Quatre...!"  
  
Below her, he sighed. "And I you, my dear Relena..."  
  
They found the pain of the fall and impact was gone. The world swirled about them. Only they existed. All else was forgotten.  
  
Two hungry mouths searched for one another, until lips locked, tongues explored, and tastes were tasted!  
  
A year of wonder followed that kiss, and bells sounded in March as a happy bride and groom trotted out of a church.   
  
The bride was never more lovely! In a conventional white dress with veil. Despite her beauty, her husband was awed by the smile she wore: more lovely than any other thing she carried upon her that day!  
  
The new life of Mr. and Mrs. Winner began...  
  
* * * * *  
  
Maggie stares off into space. "That kiss must have been nice..."  
  
'It was... more than you can know, my daughter,' I reply silently.  
  
"Mommy, did the Prince and Princess live happily ever after?"  
  
"Yes, they did. And they had a beautiful little girl!"  
  
"Ooh! What was her name?!"  
  
I laugh. "She was called..." I search for a name. "... Sunshine. She was the sunshine of their lives."  
  
Dorothy smiles. My tale didn't fool her — even though she returned with the vase and flowers in the middle of the story.  
  
Suddenly, the patio door opens behind us. A man dressed in a blue suit steps out. He smiles at us fondly.  
  
Maggie shoves herself up from the ground, and rushes into his tight embrace. "Daddy!"  
  
Quatre picks Maggie up, and kisses her. "How's my Princess?"  
  
"Fine, Daddy!" she giggles. "Mommy told me a story!"  
  
"Oh, really," he replies, sitting in the chair beside me. Maggie sits in his lap. "What was it about?"  
  
"Ooh, it was WONDERFUL! It was about the Peace Princess and her Desert Prince and how they fell in love — not so long ago!"  
  
Quatre raised an eyebrow. He looks at me, and I smile.  
  
"I didn't think such a story was fit for children," he replied to me more than Maggie.  
  
I giggle. "The story is innocent. It's those adults who search for inappropriateness within to see it as such."  
  
Quatre smirks. "Touche, Relena!"  
  
I pick Maggie up from his lap, and place her on the ground. I lean forward, to whisper in his ear. "To touch, my beloved Quatre? For that, you must wait till night!"  
  
Quatre flushes. He looks at me with an imitation look of anger, though he really means to look lustful. "You tease...!" he whispers back.  
  
"I have always given you right to tease back, my Desert Prince," I smirk, and turn to go inside.  
  
My dear husband folds his arms in defeat — for now.  
  
Dorothy smiles suspiciously, and picks up Maggie to go play in the jungle gym across the garden until dinner in half an hour.  
  
Quatre follows me inside, a wicked grin on his face. "Believe me, my princess, I'll tease!" he whispers.  
  
I shiver at the thought. He REALLY knows how to push my buttons!  
  
THE END  
  
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A/N:I wanted to say (especially to Neon-Fantasy) that I apologize if the length of this wasn't long enough. I am working on another fanfiction that is longer. I hope what this lacked in length was made up for in sappiness (happy, Neon? ^_~). Thank you for reading, R&R if you'd be so kind! Ja ne! 


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